


Savage Gold

by darthfelan



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Minor Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-16 01:24:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7246585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthfelan/pseuds/darthfelan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It might be better for us both if I hated you." he says.<br/>"I know." she replies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Long Knife

He knew she was there. About a hundred feet behind him she was hiding behind one of many huge and ancient trees watching him. He'd left his ship several kilometers to the south and had set up a simple camp site when the sun had gone down. As he'd expected the flickering camp fire and smoke had invited her to investigate. The girl was nothing if not predictable.

Kylo sat cross legged on the ground facing the fire with his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and the hood lowered. An evening breeze ruffled the dark black hair as his head bent over his work. It was an old blade, something far older and more simple than a vibro blade. There was no technology here, just cold and sharpened metal. The hand grip was made of leather and polished bone. He'd spotted it laying on the sand on Jakku when the storm troopers were razing the village. It must have belonged to a villager who had dropped it when the chaos erupted. He had picked it up and taken it with him but beyond knowing it was some kind of knife he hadn't been able to learn more about it.

It had become a calming habit. When he wanted to think he would polish the knife. Turning it over in his hands he would rub the long, straight blade with an oiled cloth until it shined. Holding the end of the handle he rubbed the leather and bone until they fairly shone. It soothed him and helped him to not only focus but to keep his calm when he needed too.

He wondered if the girl recognized him yet from her hiding spot. Probably. Reaching up he rubbed the scar that started near his nose feeling the difference in the skin texture. It had healed cleanly and the scar was straight and pale. It was a good reminder not to underestimate the little scavenger again. Turning the blade over he studied his reflection in the metal before speaking.

"How long do you plan to hide back there?" he asked.

Leaning against the tree trunk Rey peeked around the thick obstacle watching the figure seated in front of a fire. She saw no sign of a ship but he had to have one near by. She wondered if there were storm troopers with him but hadn't seen or felt any sign of them.  
Just him.  
Just Kylo Ren.

The last person she wanted to run in to right now. She was eight months in to her training and had come to this moon in the Mid-Galactic Arm as a test of not only her ability to survive but her ability to use the Force to commune with nature and learn what it might teach her.

So far it hadn't been that hard. She'd landed her small craft and carrying a pack and her light saber had set out with the calm knowledge that she could find her way back. No problem. For three days she'd hiked in the wilderness watching the local fauna and letting her senses expand around her. She'd been able to avoid aggressive predators and had eaten mostly strange small legged fish from the streams and some large berries that proved safe. Breathing the clean air had cleared her head and she felt more relaxed than she could ever remember feeling. 

Earlier that evening she'd stopped near a shallow cave near the path that led back up towards the mountains and decided that it was a good spot to spend the night. She had begun to gather dry sticks for a fire when she saw smoke in the distance. A forest fire? It seemed very confined. Laying the sticks she'd gathered down she began picking her way through the trees towards the smoke. As she got closer it became obvious that it was a camp fire. Stretching out with her senses Rey nearly collapsed and had to catch herself on a tree. What was he doing here?!

Forcing herself to calm down she crept closer, moving as silently as she knew how. Did he know she was here? He had to. Why else would he be here if not for her? Crouching behind a large and ancient tree she peered around the trunk. She could see him sitting by the fire. His back was to her and he seemed to be fiddling with something. Her mind whirled and although she tried to keep calm she felt a bubble of fear creeping through her. She'd done well during their last fight but what if that had been a fluke? Pure luck? 

When he spoke his voice was the same. Deep and slightly condescending as if she were something he found amusing. She reached out with her senses again but it was like slamming into a brick wall. He'd rebuilt his mental defenses she realized. Standing slowly Rey stepped away from the tree keeping her light saber in hand.

"Why are you here?" she asked intentionally trying to sound stern. He couldn't know that she was surprised or frightened by his presence. Kylo turned slightly looking at her over his shoulder and she saw his profile in the fire light.  
"I see your manners haven't improved." he said facing forward again. "You don't need to worry, girl. If I wanted to kill you then I would have tracked you down and done so already."

Rey frowned. That was true. He could easily have followed her through the forest or mountains and killed her while she slept. Why this then? She approached the fire cautiously, circling wide around him and keeping her eyes fixed on him. Now she could see what he was doing. He was polishing some sort of knife. It wasn't a vibro blade, it looked very old and simplistic. Glancing around to make sure there wasn't an ambush in wait she slowly sank down to sit on a flat rock on the other side of the fire and looked at him across the jumping sparks.

Kylo continued polishing the blade as the girl made her timid way around him and finally sat down to look at him. About time, he thought. Lifting his brown eyes he met hers across the fire and saw her staring at the scar that ran down his right cheek, along his throat and disappeared under the high collar of his coat.

"Do you like it?" he asked. Rey started, her eyes shifting back to his. "What?" Kylo pointed to his scar with the tip of the knife. "Do you like it?" Rey was silent for a moment. Her mouth felt dry. "It healed well." she said not knowing how else to respond. The corner of Kylo's mouth twitched in a strange smirk before he went back to polishing the knife. "We have excellent medics in the First Order." he said. Rey shifted uncomfortably laying her light saber in her lap where it was close at hand. "Why are you here?" she asked again. 

Blood. He wanted blood. He wanted to cut her throat with this old knife and watch the life drain from her eyes for what she'd done to him. His fingers twitched on the blade handle and he bit back his desire for violence. For vengeance. It had been a battle. He had lost. Hard as it was to believe, he had lost. His pride hurt so badly he’d wanted to die. Breathing in deeply he ran his fingers along the leather feeling his calm returning. Why was he there? Good question.

"I'm not supposed to be. I had business elsewhere and broke off when I sensed you." he admitted. Rey wasn't sure how she felt about that. He'd come here specifically looking for her and yet he hadn't attacked her. Why? Kylo glanced up watching her emotions playing out so openly across her face. Her confusion and fear were so palpable he could practically see them dancing around her in the fire light. "No." he said still watching her. Rey looked back at him. "No? No what?" she asked.

Reaching down beside him Kylo lifted a long case he'd obtained for the knife and carefully slid it inside, closing the latch. He set the case down beside him before answering her. "No I don't want a rematch." he said looking back at her with that infuriating smirk. Rey's spine stiffened as she realized she'd been broadcasting her thoughts. No need for him to invade her mind when she was openly putting everything out there. Her defenses went up like a set of durasteel walls instantly cutting him off from her emotions and thoughts. "Don't do that." she hissed.

There was such intensity in her eyes, he thought. The fire light danced around her casting a long and wavering shadow towards the trees that encircled the small clearing. Something was different.It took him a moment to recognize what it was that had been bothering him. "Your hair looks different..." he said studying her. 

Rey blinked at him. Her hair? She reached up touching the tie that held her hair back from her face. She'd taken to wearing it in a simple tail instead of her usual way because it was simpler and better for training. The fact that he'd noticed gave her a curious feeling and she looked away before he could notice the blush coloring her cheeks.

"This is better for training..." she said wondering as she did why she was bothering to explain herself to him. Kylo didn't like it. Although the contours of her face were unchanged the new hair style was....it was a change. Training she’d said. Training to be a Jedi no doubt. Skywalker. She knew where to find Skywalker. No. He didn’t come here to try and drag information from her. She could always be followed after she left the planet. A tracking beacon attached to her ship. There would be time for that later. He raked a hand through his hair focusing on the moment. And her hair. 

"Whatever....it's just hair." he muttered, mostly to himself. Rey watched him. The way the shadows seemed to cling to his large frame, the fire light sliding off the planes of his face and reflecting in the depth of his eyes. Kylo Ren was handsome, she realized with a start. Rey stood up so fast she nearly tossed her light saber into the fire and only just caught it before it hit the earth. "I have to go!" she said quickly. 

Kylo looked up watching her sudden lunge to her feet, a frown forming. Go? No. He wasn't ready to let her go yet. There were still things he wanted to know. Things he needed to understand. He rose as well, and his superior height made him tower over the scavenger although to her credit she didn't back down.

Rey held her ground glaring at him. Kylo watched the way her body tensed as if she were ready to fight or run. She reminded him of a civet cat he'd seen in a holo once when he was a boy. Sleek and slender and proud. Graceful and serene until something angered it. Then those dark eyes would light with an indignant fury. Rey moved to step around him and Kylo mirrored her movement blocking her path again. "Stop it." she hissed.

Rey moved to the right and he moved to mimic her again. As he did so Rey darted around his left side walking as fast as she could without appearing to be running from him. This wasn't right. Why was her heart pounding in her chest? She wasn't afraid of him! Kylo appeared in front of her again cutting her off, one arm braced against the tree on Rey's left effectively blocking her escape. "Stop what?" he asked tilting his head, that irritating smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth again. "Why are you running away?"

She bristled at that. "I am not running away!" she snapped disliking how close he was. She moved back a step and Kylo followed manipulating her motions. Rey felt the tree trunk flush against her back and realized she'd managed to get herself pinned as his other hand rested against the trunk alongside her head. Damn. 

Her eyes were so deep he thought studying them in the dim light. They fairly blazed with intensity. She wasn't afraid...there was something else. Something she couldn't name that her eyes were reflecting like a spiral. Too close. He was too close. Kylo's head lowered slightly, alongside Rey's. She could feel his breath beating against her throat, she could smell the scent of the shampoo he used. She felt like she was hyperventilating. 

Turning his head Kylo's mouth moved along the curve of her jaw slowly. Not quite touching the skin but close enough to make the fire in the pit of his stomach blaze. Something was there....waiting to be unraveled. His eyes focused on her lips as his mouth slowly inched closer. There. That was where it was hiding. If he just....

Feeling his breath against her lips snapped Rey out of her momentary paralysis and bracing both hands on his chest she shoved with all her might. Caught off balance Kylo toppled backwards landing on his ass on the ground and narrowly avoiding landing in the camp fire itself. She didn't wait to speak but turned and ran as fast as she could back the way she'd come. Her legs and arms pumped pushing her faster until the trees were a blur and she was instinctively feeling the path under her feet. Beating through the brush and leaping obstacles she made it back to her half started camp collapsing against the rock and panting harshly for air. Her chest and sides ached and she could feel her legs trembling. 

Her hands shook as she opened her water bottle and took a gulp, coughing as some of the liquid went down the wrong pipe. Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand she struggled to get hold of herself. What had just happened? Was he going to.....to.....kiss her? Rey got to her feet hurriedly grabbing her belongings. She had to go. She had to get off this planet before something else happened. 

Straightening she heard a familiar sound in the distance and she groaned turning to look back even though she didn't want to. The smoke was still rising from the trees but as she watched one of the heavy firs shuddered and toppled and there was a frr zzss sound accompanying it. She could just make out the ominous red glow as the saber carved a path towards her. 

No. No. No. 

Scrambling up she rushed from the cave in the mountainside scrambling along the upward leading path. Every few moments she'd look behind her and each time she did she swore the light saber was closer. The path that had been so simple in the daylight was a torturous gauntlet by night. The panic she felt made the Force practically useless and she feared using it lest it lead him to her like a beacon. 

Her boots slid in the skree and twice she nearly fell over the ledge where the path climbed its way through the forest into the mountains. It wasn't even a proper path. Just an old game trail she'd hacked through on her way down that morning. At the top of the ledge she stopped to catch her breath, resting her hands on her knees and drawing in deep drafts of the night air. Alright. Okay.

Below and behind her the forest, thick with fir and other deciduous trees spread out in a vast ocean of green and black in the darkness of the night time. In the distance she could just make out the faint flicker of the campfire. The trail she was on had climbed up along a ridge into a towering mountain range that encircled one side of the sprawling valley below. The rock was mostly heavy boulders and jagged upthrusts formed in some long ago volcanic event. 

Sharp outcroppings and loose scree made parts of the path unstable and while the daytime descent had been easy given the abundant light, trying to pick her way along the darkened trail quickly was proving much more difficult. Ahead the trail leveled out and flowed down into the forest again but the path was deceiving. The trees were anchored into the sides of the hills and while the slope was less deadly the rocks and loose debris made a fall treacherous. You could be cut to ribbons on the rocks or knock your head on a tree trunk.

Pleasant thoughts, she chastised herself. Behind her she could no longer see the red glow of Ren's light saber but she had no doubt he was back there, stalking her in the darkness. Reaching the trail as it led down into the valley again she cast a hurried look over her shoulder. Nothing. Maybe he'd given up.

Turning she collided with his chest and stumbled backwards with a startled scream. Sliding on the scree on the trail side she went sideways, her legs dropping off the path. Flailing out she grabbed for a tree trunk but her nails bit uselessly into the wood giving her splinters but no purchase. Kylo caught her forearm bracing one foot against the tree trunk she'd scratched. The sudden stop made her yelp and she looked up at him with wide and fearful eyes. What was he doing?

Keeping his grip firm he stretched out his other hand. "Come on." he growled. Throwing her dangling arm up she caught his outstretched hand and he stood lifting her from the hillside easily and caught her as she stumbled back onto the trail. Rey was shaking from head to foot as she considered just how narrow her escape had been. If he hadn't wanted to save her she would be dead. 

Everything she had learned about how to save herself had flown straight out of her head. She was grateful and at the same time embarrassed that she'd needed to be rescued. Kylo held her upper arms until she was steady. Letting her go he watched as she shrugged off her pack and sank down to sit on the trail visibly trembling over her close brush with the void.

That was how he'd managed to get ahead of her, she realized. He'd followed her progress from the forest below and placed himself in her path. If she hadn't been so freaked out she might have realized that. The silence stretched on as she picked the wooden splinters out of her fingernails and flicked them away.

Ren crouched beside her and watched quietly but he didn't seem to know what to say anymore than she did. He'd charged his way through the forest determined to catch her before she could slip away again, refusing to leave things as they were. Unresolved. Unsatisfied. This girl had a grip on him and it was more than just the Force. It was something deeper. Something stronger.

Rey wiped her dirt stained hands on her equally filthy trousers and looked over at him. He was so calm, she thought. How could he be so calm? Her own heart was hammering in her chest, her lungs felt tight and her stomach was in knots just being this close to him again. Did he know he had that effect on her? Ren stared down at the tree line and the small spark that was his campfire in the distance. 

"You’re not going to run this time?" he asked looking over at her. Rey offered him a sour look. "No...there's nowhere for me to go at the moment. You're blocking the path and if I go back well....I'll be where I started." she said slowly stretching out her legs only now feeling the multiple scratches and cuts that adorned them from the knee down. Her bare arms were an equal mess. She looked over at Ren as he moved to sit down next to her, his longer legs resting over the edge of the hill side, one boot resting against an exposed tree root.

"Why did you help me?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her. It would have been so easy for him to let her fall to her doom. Or to kill her himself. One swipe of the light saber and she'd be nothing but a memory. Kylo picked up a few of the loose rocks that seemed to be everywhere on the trail and turning one over in his fingers he tossed it. The stone sailed in an arc and disappeared into the darkness below. 

"Instinct." he said quietly looking down at one of the rocks in his hand, examining the rich veins of color that wove through the simple oblong surface. "I couldn't let you go." he said looking over at her. "I know I should have. Everything inside me is screaming that you're dangerous...." Rey looked back at him, her confusion plain. He turned the rock slowly between his fingers. Rey had been called many things in her life but never dangerous. 

If he was so convinced she was somehow a danger to him then why had he pursued her. "Is it because of..." she hesitated a moment and then reached out lightly touching the scar along his cheek. It was the first time she'd actually touched him and she was struck by how warm he was. He didn't move for a moment and then he turned his head leaning it away from her outstretched fingers. 

Taking the hint Rey dropped her hand back into her lap. "No." he said. "I've spent years burying myself in a hardened shell. Shredding my emotions and emptying my mind of confusion and diversions......and I thought when I destroyed Han Solo I had finally overcome my weaker self. I thought I would feel reborn." he said looking down.

A twinge of hurt raced through her and her hands squeezed into fists momentarily when he mentioned the father he'd murdered. She'd been a witness to that brutality and it had fueled her determination during their battle to stop him. "I don't understand..." she said quietly. Kylo shook his head. "No. You wouldn't, Killing him was supposed to free me. Of my doubts. Of my past. I expected to be strengthened by the Dark Side. To feel a surge of power. Instead I was beaten back.....taken down by an untrained, amateur scavenger." he said. 

There was no malice in his words. Just a factual telling of their fight.  
Rey remembered the desperation with which he'd fought when the tide had turned and she'd begun advancing on him. It was as if he kept expecting some secret strength to blossom and help him recover the advantage. Instead....she looked at the scar again and then away feeling a surge of guilt and sympathy for him. He'd been misled. Lied to and used. And it had cost him dearly.

"Stop it." he said, his tone sharp. Rey looked back at him. "Stop what?" she asked. He turned his head looking at her with that same dark intensity she'd seen before. "Pitying me. I don't need it. I don't want it." he said, almost growling the words. Kylo pushed to his feet looking down the dark trail that led back into the forest below them. Why had he saved her? It was wrong. All of this was wrong. He should kill her now and forget her. His fingers twitched in the direction of the light saber clipped to his belt but he couldn't bring himself to draw it. The confusion he felt in her presence was making him hesitant and uncertain. She felt it as well, that much was obvious from the way she’d fled.

A strange vibration slid down his spine and pooled in his lower belly. Like his anger it made his blood run hot. The memory of those dark eyes looking up at him, her lips parted as if inviting him to quench a thirst he had no name for. Her fear of giving in to him inspired a dark lust deep in his bones. It made him want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, demand she sate this new appetite or die and leave him be. 

Rey drew her legs up one at a time checking them for any serious damage and breathing a sigh of relief when she found nothing broken. Above her Ren’s breathing had changed. It was deep and raspy as if he'd run a great distance. Tilting her head she looked up at him and froze in place. It was like looking into the eyes of a predator. He was staring at her with such intensity that Rey felt as if her bones would burst into flame from the sheer heat of his gaze. 

She wanted to stand, to back away from that look and at the same time she wanted to cling to him and beg for release from something she didn't understand. The hand that curled around her arm was hard and uncompromising as he pulled her to her feet and Rey found herself against his chest for the second time. 

Fingers tangled into the length of her ponytail pulling her head back so she was looking up at him. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt something hard pressing against her stomach and the dawning realization of what it meant. Still there was no fight, no struggle, no furious demands for freedom. It was as if she'd come to the same conclusions he had. This thing that they both felt, that they both so desperately wanted could only be found in each other. 

Kylo leaned down without a word and caught her mouth in a bruising kiss. Her lips parted for him elegantly and he swept his tongue into the moist cavern without knowing why he should. Knowing only that he wanted to taste her. Every crevice, every soft line and curve of her should be stroked and explored by his mouth. Rey met his lips with far more eagerness than she'd admit.

Wrapping her arms around his neck Ren lifted her effortlessly and she looped her legs around his waist. Kylo's hands slid under her thighs holding her against him as she ran a hand into his hair. Tongues tangling against each other, gliding along teeth and tracing, memorizing with uncertain desperation.

He wanted.

In a way in which he had never wanted anything before in his life. Kylo knew there was only one way this was going to end and holding her steady he moved forward. He broke the kiss long enough to see the path but he refused to let her down fearful she’d change her mind. Rey had no thoughts beyond the taste and feel of the knight's mouth on hers. When she felt herself being lowered onto a patch of soft earth she thought nothing of it. She wanted as badly as he did. 

Hands groped at unfamiliar clothes, tugging and pulling in frustrated impatience. Always, always their mouths found each other again. And when his lips slid along her throat and lower, tasting and teasing her Rey felt a fire bloom inside her hotter than any sun. Tangling fingers in his soft, dark hair as he pressed her thighs apart and dipped his tongue inside her brought her hips off the earth and she swore the sky above her spun. 

Their bodies dissolved into long, dark shadows moving in unison. A frantic dance of tangled limbs, panting cries and a sudden climax that sent them both spiraling as if caught in the event horizon of an errant black hole. 

Lying next to him as the sweat on her body cooled Rey could feel the light of a billion stars illuminating her body. She felt like a goddess incarnate. Turning she looked at Kylo and saw his eyes were closed, his breathing was deep and even but she knew he wasn't sleeping. Laying her head on his chest she closed her eyes feeling his long arm wrapping around her shoulders to ward off the cool night air. 

"it would be better for us both if I hated you." he said quietly. Rey traced her finger along the muscles of his chest feeling his heart beating under her touch. “I know.” she said. “Do you want to pretend this never happened?” she asked already feeling a horrible aching in the pit of her stomach. Kylo leaned up looking at her intently. “No. Never.” he growled. “To hell with all of them.” he rolled above her and Rey uttered a startled squeak and then laughter as he fell on her. 

The Viper probe droid finished broadcasting its transmission from the nearby treeline and turned silently drifting off towards the south.


	2. A Sinister Intent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Stupid boy." he whispered to himself. "Stupid, stupid boy."

The Finalizer floated through the blackness of space. Aboard the Star Destroyer the thousands of men and women who were responsible for keeping the First Order in operation went about their routines with a sense of dutiful purpose. General Hux stood in front of his office view port gazing out at the millions of stars as they silently drifted through space. A tall, slim man with perfectly groomed red hair and a spotless uniform, his relaxed stance betrayed none of the inner turmoil he was feeling. He had failed. In the worst possible way, he had failed. The Starkiller base was destroyed by a pack of worthless rebels and all his work was gone. He could hear his father's voice, see the man's reflection in the transparisteel. "Worthless. Weak. Useless." Hux closed his eyes for a moment banishing the ghosts and reminding himself that he still had a few cards to play. Very few.

Turning from the viewport he sank into the chair behind his desk. He should be preparing a new assault on the Resistence. Retaking systems that had ignorantly broken with the First Order to join the rebellious scum and preventing his own career from disappearing down the drain. Instead he was again being forced to clean up a mess left behind by the Supreme Leader's pet, Kylo Ren. The man behaved more like a spoiled and willful child than a knight or commander. Shaking his head in disgust he reached for his data pad and hesitated as he spied the blinking light on his hypertransceiver. Checking the coordinates from which the message originated he frowned, and checked his notes just to be certain. He didn't have any spies in that area. It was mostly empty space with a small sun and a few moons, none of which were inhabited by any kind of advanced civilizations. Why would he be receiving a transmission from there? Checking the coded number attached to the message Hux felt his stomach lurch as he recognized the number. It was a report from a Viper spy droid. 

Hux sat up straighter in his chair. Just as he'd installed a tracking chip in Kylo Ren's belt so that he could be easily located, he'd also hidden a spy droid aboard the knight's ship so that he could keep tabs on him. The Viper spy droid was programmed to intercept and track all navigational input so that Ren could be followed if necessary. All approved mission data would be immediately downloaded into the droid's system so that any unauthorized deviations would be noted. It was brilliant if Hux did say so himself. The droid was simply supposed to track his movements through space and had been programmed to only detach from the ship if Ren landed somewhere outside his mission specifications. Find him, track him, record him. Droids were beautifully incapable of disobeying orders, unlike errant knights. The droid's script report scrolled into view and Hux read it quickly.

Ren had apparently landed on one of the moons in this strange system. Why was he there? The droid had followed him at a safe distance it seemed and had recorded his movements in both script, marking varying coordinates, and video. The droid had also detected another humanoid life form that Ren had apparently intercepted. What was this about? A secret meeting? Hux frowned as he qued up the video holo footage that the droid had transmitted. It took him a moment to understand what it was he was seeing and then the general kicked back out of his chair so quickly he nearly fell on the floor. Kylo Ren and....the -scavenger-?! Cavorting on the floor of a forest moon like a pair of horny teenagers! 

Hux clapped a hand over his mouth in shock and complete disgust. Stabbing the button he ended the recording and rubbed his forehead slowly. Alright. Okay. Gripping his chair arms he slid it back into place and sat down again. He could feel yet another Ren induced migraine approaching. Ren had altered his course and met with the scavenger. The girl had caused nothing but trouble and had Hux had his way she would never have been allowed to leave alive but Ren had protested. He wanted her captured, not killed. Well this explained why. What did this mean? Wasn't the girl a part of the Resistence? 

"Stupid boy." he whispered to himself. "Stupid, stupid boy."

A wicked gleam surfaced in Hux's eyes as he contemplated how best he could use this information. He could use it, that much was certain but he had to be careful. So very careful. First he would copy the footage and the droid's tracking data and then he and Kylo Ren would have a talk. Making mental notes to himself as he began copying the data, Hux smiled. Maybe Kylo Ren wasn't so useless after all.

 

As Ren's personal shuttle settled with a heavy thud onto its spot in the Finalizer's docking bay technicians raced to connect tethers and hoses to secure the ship. The ramp descended and Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka swallowed nervously as he waited at the foot of the ramp. The small, dark haired officer adjusted the collar of his uniform jacket and clutched his hat hoping he didn't look as frightened as he felt. He couldn't very well help that. His encounters with Kylo Ren usually ended poorly. The knight had a temper and it was not unknown for him to lash out at his subordinates. Mitaka was always afraid that he would someday be one of those subordinates struck down by the fury of Ren's temper. He wasn't sure why General Hux always sent him to deliver news to Ren. If he didn't know better Mitaka would suspect that Hux had it in for him.

The black clad knight stomped down the ramp taking note of Mitaka as he did. Great.  
He didn't slow his pace forcing the little lieutenant to nearly jog to keep up with his stride. 

"Welcome back, sir!" Mitaka said following Ren towards the lifts. "General Hux would um....would like to speak with you. At once....he said." Mitaka continued stopping just before the lifts. Ren stepped inside the car and looked at him. Stretching out an arm he saw Mitaka cringe backwards. Why Hux insisted on sending this particular officer as his messenger Ren didn't understand. If he didn't know better he'd think Hux had it in for the lieutenant. Grabbing a handful of Mitaka's jacket he yanked him into the car beside him and released his hold.

Mitaka made a frightened sound as he was forcibly pulled inside the lift and hurriedly fixed his jacket, smoothing the rumples.  
"What does the general want?" Ren asked him as he stared at the doors with a blank expression. Mitaka looked at the doors as well trying not to fidget with his hat.

"He didn't say, sir. Only that I was to deliver the message as soon as you arrived."

Ren silently considered sending Hux a message of his own. Something poetic that would make Mitaka stammer and blush trying to repeat it to his superior officer. What he wanted to do was retreat to his quarters, take a long and hot shower and think about Rey. He knew if he refused to see Hux then that the general would be even more insufferable than usual when Ren finally did decide to see what he wanted. Better to get it over with then.

"Fine." he said as the doors opened. Passing Mitaka he stalked off down the corridor moving like a black clad hurricane, and sending everyone in his path scurrying out of his way. Behind him in the lift car Mitaka exhaled mightily and leaned on the metallic wall. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket he wiped his forehead with a shaking hand. He needed a vacation.

 

Hux didn't bother to look up as his office door opened and closed. There was only one person on the ship who would dare enter his space  
without requesting permission first. "How nice of you to rejoin us, Ren." he said tapping a finger on his data pad before sitting back and looking up at the dark clad knight. Ren stood in front of his desk glaring down at the general with a sour expression. Charming, Hux thought. He wondered briefly what the scavenger girl saw in someone like Ren but he pushed the thought from his mind and focused. He couldn't risk Ren sensing his thoughts and giving the game away too soon.

"You need a new messenger. " Ren said curtly. "One of these days he's going to implode from trying to keep his fear in check. It's pathetic."  
Hux smirked clasping his hands loosely in his lap.

"Lieutenant Mitaka serves his function very well."

"He said you wanted to speak with me. Here I am. What do you want?" Ren snapped not bothering to conceal his irritation. He hated that smirk.  
He wanted to reach out and clench a hand around Hux's throat and see if he smirked then. Arrogant prick.

"You were out of communication for a while and it seems you were late to the rendezvous point to meet the engineer. Did you get lost?" Hux asked. The smirk was even in his tone, Ren thought squeezing his hands in to fists.

"No. I took my time. The First Order will benefit from this deal but these Outer Rim engineers think they're senators and their time is precious. It looks bad if we rush to accommodate them. They should be the ones eager to make a deal, and so they were. I brought back copies of the agreements and I'll send them to you." In other words, get off my case Hux I did what you needed done, Ren thought bitterly. The general's eyes narrowed as he studied the taller man. The smirk was now a scowl, Ren noticed. 

"Very good. We'll need them if we're to replace the Starkiller." he said curtly. Ren nodded and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. These generals and their super weapons.

"Incidentally I've decided on the location of our new base." Hux said stretching out an arm. Ren sighed. As if he cared about a new base. He had a lot to think about and do and Hux was eating up his time and patience. Pressing the button on the holo Hux watched Ren's face as the image of the forested moon materialized. It took only a second for Ren to recognize it and his whole body stiffened.

"It's in a small system and it's unoccupied but it's habitable." Hux was saying. More images were filtering in of forests and mountains.

"One of my droids was able to collect a lot of data and I have proof that it's fit for occupation." Hux said as the image shifted again to show Ren and Rey on the floor of the forest. It was very obvious what they were doing and the images were crystal clear. No use denying it was him with the scavenger. Hux's grin widened slowly like a Cheshire cats. Delightful. Hux could read the horror and shock in Ren's face without needing the Force to do so. How? Ren thought staring at the holo. How had Hux known? How had he managed to record this? Who had he told? Fury exploded through his veins. The lightsaber ignited with a vicious sound and Hux drew back throwing his arms up to shield himself as the hypertransceiver was slashed to pieces throwing debris and sparks in every direction. Ren clutched his light saber in one hand breathing so heavily it seemed he might be hyperventilating. 

"Surely you don't think that was my only copy?" Hux said as he lowered his arms watching Ren with a raised eyebrow.  
What an emotional train wreck the knight was. And so easy to anticipate.

"I do wonder what the Supreme Leader will say about you cavorting with the enemy?" he gave him a nasty grin.

"He might insist on capturing her now that we know where she is. She is still there isn't she?" he asked. Ren's expression told him that she was and Hux chuckled. Standing the general used his foot to slide some of the destroyed pieces of the hypertransceiver out of the path of his chair as he pushed it into place.

"Such a pretty girl too. I can see why having a tryst with her might be more exciting than long winded meetings with Outer Rim engineers. Of coarse I'm not entirely cruel. If she's captured I certainly wouldn't want her to get lonely." he said deciding to press Ren. After all Hux had the power here. He had copies of the footage and Ren didn't know where they were or who else had seen them. This was fun. For the first time Hux could torment Ren without fearing repercussions.

"I know!" he said brightly as if the thought had just occurred to him. " We could let her stay in the storm troopers barracks! They work so hard and they really don't get enough time to have fun. The girl could accommodate them, don't you think?" He knew he'd gone too far from the change in Ren's expression. His face went white with rage, lips drawing back in an animalistic snarl. Ren slammed him against the office wall with both hands clenched around Hux's throat holding him a good two feet off the floor. Hux gasped for air that wasn't coming, his fingers frantically trying to pry the steel fingers from his throat. Air. He needed air. Ren's eyes narrowed with murderous intent.

"Listen to me..." he said, his voice soft. 

"You're going to forget you saw that recording. You're not going to show it to another soul. You're not going to touch the girl. If you -ever- lay a hand on her, I will kill you. If you ever threaten her again, I will kill you. If she is captured, I will kill you." he hissed tightening his grip until Hux thought his head might explode. His mouth worked open and closed but he couldn't form any words. Not to agree, not to plead for oxygen, not to tell him to rot in hell. There was simply no air.

"You will never bring up this topic again." Ren continued. Somehow the calm voice was more terrifying than the rage he displayed. Hux didn't doubt him. He knew right then that he had overstepped the line and Ren would indeed kill him. Hux was seeing spots, his vision seeming to darken and blur at the edges. Ren released him suddenly and stepped back letting the general collapse onto the floor. Hitting the floor Hux sucked in air desperately. Clutching a hand against his bruised and aching throat he gasped air in and coughed, his throat feeling raw from the knight's iron grip. Ren didn't say any more, he didn't need to. Without looking at him he left the office. 

Pushing himself up slowly Hux leaned against the wall closing his eyes as he got his breathing under control. That hadn't gone as he'd anticipated. He wasn't finished though. No one could treat him like that and expect to go unscathed. Gritting his teeth Hux got to his feet and stumbled into the small, adjacent fresher and looked in the mirror. Yanking his uniform collar open he stared at the ugly bruises that were forming against his pale skin. He felt a sick humiliation that sent him to his knees clutching the toilet as he was violently ill. His stomach lurched even when empty. Weak. Sweating, with a sour taste in his mouth Hux drug himself upright and splashed water on his face at the sink. Rinsing out his mouth he waited for his nausea to pass. Ren might have shown his superiority in strength but he'd also shown Hux his greatest weakness. The girl. Drying off his face Hux looked at his reflection and carefully fixed his jacket collar. Somehow he'd get the girl.  
And Ren would pay.


End file.
